Union-Endicott Superintendent of Schools Suzanne McLeod and Endicott Police Chief Patrick Garey discuss a lockdown at the high school. Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin


Drugs on the campus. Police manhunts in the surrounding area. 

And that most terrifying of possible threats: a school shooting.

Parents today have a seemingly endless array of things to worry about when they send their children off to school. And today's world offers more ways for rumors of bad news to travel quickly — sometimes leading to panic, confusion and even outrage.

In a time where communication — or miscommunication — is amplified by text messages and Facebook posts, education administrators, experts and parents alike are left grappling with the most important question: When it comes to a school emergency, what should we do to keep our children safest?

That issue has risen to the forefront several times in recent months across the region.

In some of these cases, parents criticized how the districts handled their response.

Greg Catarella, the father of two children in the Vestal Central School District, said he was displeased about the information that was and wasn't shared with parents when the middle school executed the May 1 search for drugs.

Vestal Middle School sent out an email to parents as the search occurred. But Catarella said he received conflicting information from district sources on whether drugs had been found.

"Communication between the school and parents absolutely could have been better," he said. "I think parents should be notified immediately any time drugs are found at the school as to the type of drugs found, the quantity and the number of students involved."

But when it comes to student safety, school districts aren't improvising on the fly. Each follows its own detailed emergency protocol that advises them on what to do if a threat arises — and what information should be shared, and when. 

And, experts say, controlling the flood of communication can sometimes save lives.

Murder in Apalachin; Tioga Hills closed

On May 9, Vestal administration officials decided to close Tioga Hills Elementary School following a man's fatal shooting during a home invasion in the Tioga Terrace neighborhood.

Parents were notified of the closure, but according to Dee and Sara Mallory, whose 9-year-old daughter is a Tioga Hills student, they received conflicting information from the school and media reports as the day unfolded.

The Mallories say they received a voice message and email from the district saying police had apprehended all suspects involved in the investigation, while media, using information provided by the state police, reported law enforcement agents were still searching for a person of interest. 

Even though the school was closed, "We both feel that people living in this community should have been kept better informed by law enforcement agencies during this time period," Dee Mallory said. No one wants their child — home from school — playing outside while a suspect in a fatal shooting might be at large near their home.

Related: Union-Endicott lockdown: How a former student's alleged threat was discovered

As parents, they said, they always worry about their children's safety, but incidents like these, and horror stories from across the country, have made them even more anxious.

In the U.S., over a period of 11 days in May, there were three mass shootings, two of which were at schools. Earlier this year, a 7-year-old girl wrote a heartbreaking message on her arm during a school lockdown in case "the bad guy got to us and I got killed." The message read, "Love Mom and Dad."

While there has not been a school shooting in the Southern Tier, there have been emergency incidents and lockdowns.

Lockdowns, the Mallories said, are the truly scary ones.

"Not being able to get to your child during a real emergency is extremely troubling," Dee said, "yet we understand the logic behind it."

Emergency policies

Lockdown procedure is one of many aspects of school safety that is outlined in districts' emergency policies. In this area, the policies share similarities: Each district, for example, has an incident commander, usually the superintendent of the district, and various other employees assume roles from transportation coordination to logistics, safety and communications.

The Elmira City School District's Emergency Response Plan doesn't mince words when assessing a potential threat. The district, it states, "has as much likelihood of being attacked by a deranged sniper, or by a hostage taker, or bomb threats as with any other institution that houses students from a variety of backgrounds. Its close proximity to the Elmira Correctional Facility and Psychiatric Center has the potential for unstable personnel wandering on district property and causing harm to students and staff."

The incident commander is to call 911 about the incident as soon as it's brought to his or her attention, if authorities have not already been called. Activation of the appropriate response action must take effect as soon as school officials know about the incident.

Depending on the severity of the incident, responses could include sheltering in place, lockout, lockdown and evacuation.

Response actions by schools

Here are some of the types of school responses when an incident occurs:

Shelter in place: When this is activated by a district, it is announced via intercom, and students are to move to the interior of the room they're in, or relocate to a hallway. This action is usually in response to a weather emergency. Heat and air conditioning is usually turned off, and depending on the duration of the activation, food, water and sleeping arrangements are made.

In Elmira's policy, concerned parties will be notified once the shelter-in-place has been lifted.

Hold in place: This is activated when there is an internal incident, such as students fighting in a hallway. This is announced via intercom, and all students are to return to classrooms. 

Evacuation: Most area district policies state evacuation should take place if it is determined that it is safer outside than inside the building (fire, explosion, intruder, hazardous material spill) and staff, students and visitors can safely reach the evacuation location without danger.

A sample intercom announcement from the Elmira district would say, "Your attention please. We need to evacuate the building. Teachers are to take their students to their designated assembly area. Teachers, take your class roster. Take attendance when it is safe to do so."

If a student finds themselves not in the presence of a teacher during an evacuation, they're instructed to exit out of the nearest emergency exit and convene with the closest faculty member they see. There is to be no stopping for student belongings.

Lockout: The purpose of a lockout is to secure school buildings and grounds during incidents outside of the school that pose an imminent concern. This is activated via intercom, and students carry out usual inside activities, but outside activities are curbed until the lockout is lifted.

Lockdown: These are to secure school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence in or around the school. The Elmira district uses the simple announcement, "Lockdown! Lockdown! Lockdown!"


Jori Cincotta discusses what parents and students can do to help increase school safety. She was a panelist at the "Protecting Our Kids" forum at Irondequoit High School on Feb. 26, 2018.

The primary objective of a lockdown is to quickly ensure all school staff, students and visitors are secured in rooms away from immediate danger. A lockdown is the initial physical response to provide a time barrier during an active shooter/intruder event. It is not a stand-alone defensive strategy.

Steps that should be taken during a lockdown can include barricading the door, hiding from view, remaining silent and readying a plan of evacuation.

Some districts instruct teachers to not allow anyone, under any circumstance, to leave the secured area. All cellphones must be silenced. Attendance should be taken.

In Elmira, the plan for a lockdown states, "Use whatever means necessary to protect yourself and the students. You must be prepared to fight for your life and use physical force or possibly deadly force to stop the intruder."

How schools share information

The Union-Endicott School District uses an automated phone message system to provide parents/guardians with essential information during a situation. This system may be supplemented by emails from the appropriate leadership team members and/or the building principal.

Similarly, the Binghamton City School District said it has several ways to keep parents and guardians informed during an emergency situation. Community relations coordinator Kerry Gallagher said each situation is unique, and depending on the circumstances, the district may communicate with parents through automated calls, emails, push notifications through the custom mobile app, and/or posting to the district website.

"If there is any concern for student safety, the media will be notified either by the district or the police," Gallagher said.

The Vestal district uses the School Messenger notification service to provide parents/guardians with essential information during a situation, and communications may be supplemented by emails from the building principal.

What information is shared?

The amount of information provided by the district to parents varies according to area schools.

Regina Felice, Vestal's public information coordinator, said the district will share as much that can be shared without compromising an investigation, sacrificing safety, or violating student or staff confidentiality.

Districts said since incidents are unique, law enforcement is sometimes consulted before information is released to parents.

Cellphones can be dangerous

But educators and administrators aren't the only ones with access to technology. Gallagher said with cellphones readily available to students as well as staff, information and misinformation travels quickly.

Felice added, "Student phone use can complicate things by feeding the rumor mill and, often, unnecessarily raising the panic level by circulating unofficial, unconfirmed and often inaccurate information."

During an emergency situation, U-E and Vestal offered this advice to students: "We would urge our students to stay calm and follow the instructions of their teachers or other staff who will be directing them as to a course of action. As unfortunate as it may be to have lockdown and other drills for our students, they do serve the purpose to help everyone, students and staff, know what they should and should not do during a situation."

In a recent open letter to area parents, Endicott Police Chief Patrick Garey said, "Think about it: Phones usually give an audible alert or vibration during calls or texts. Imagine a lockdown and your child is hiding in a classroom or a closet. An armed intruder stands only a few feet away when your child’s phone rings or vibrates. Is the consequence of your child’s location being revealed worth your need for immediate information?"

So what should parents do?

Gallagher said administrators — many parents themselves — fully realize the instinct to rush to your child if you think they might be in danger. 

"However, it is important to keep phone lines and roadways clear for emergency response purposes, for the safety of our students and staff," she said. "During a crisis, it is important that parents remain calm and closely monitor information sources."

Elmira Police Capt. Anthony Alvernaz said in his 23 years with the department, he doesn't recall a critical emergency incident at the Elmira City School District.

"Just with any other incidents that occur outside of a school setting, certain nuances could affect the safe resolution," he said. "Not all things work 100% of the time. It may be fine for a parent to call or text a student in one situation, but could cause harm in another."

Alvernaz offered a few tips for parents and families:

  • Familiarize yourselves with the district's emergency plan.
  • Develop a family plan based off of the emergency plan.
  • Have family practices/drills for various potential incidents.
  • A plan could include a group text message to family members, depending on the situation.
  • Follow school district and law enforcement Facebook pages.

"In general, I would refrain from encouraging parents to rush the school at the news of a situation or lockdown, as it would only serve to complicate the already confusing scene," Alvernaz said. "Parents would most likely act out of emotion and fear, and could potentially hinder emergency operations or, worse, cause themselves to be placed into harm's way."

Endicott chief releases letter

Endicott Police Chief Garey issued his letter to parents in the Union-Endicott district and the community, addressing negative comments received regarding communications during the May 22 lockdown at Union-Endicott High School.

Garey, a father of four, spoke from the heart and from experience. 

"The reality is there is absolutely nothing you can do during a lockdown to enhance your child’s safety, except to let public safety and school personnel do their job! The harsh reality is that most parental instincts push you to do the exact opposite of what your child needs to be safe as possible!" Garey wrote.

Garey said communicating with your child during a lockdown or emergency situation could, in fact, lead an intruder to your child's location inside the school. Further, calling your child, 911 or the school could flood cell towers and delay emergency response.

He also suggested telling your child to turn their cellphone to silent, or even off, until the incident is over.

"What you should do," Garey wrote, "is stay by your phone to receive information as soon as it can be safely provided."


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